If it seemed as if going vegetarian is becoming more
popular these days, you are correct, and especially among teenagers. A
recent poll conducted by Roper found that 11% of girls aged 13-17 ate no
meat. Also, about 25% of teenagers say being a vegetarian is "in"
according to Teenage Research Unlimited. Vegetarians choose not to eat
meat and this diet has many benefits. However, some people choose to be
vegans.
Most people have not heard the word vegan before, but veganism
is defined as a way of living which excludes, as far as possible, all
forms of cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.
Teens who go vegan say that even though cows aren't killed during milk
production, they don't want to support any industry that confines
animals for human use. Rice or soymilk are great replacements for dairy
milk.
And in dietary terms being a vegan is eating no animal produce
including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey and other
derivatives.
I have found that many people think this diet is crazy
and extremely difficult. But, in fact it is not at all hard to do,
perhaps the hardest part is explaining to people why you want to live
like this because many people do not know, or choose not to know how
livestock are treated on farms. Some well-known young people who are
vegetarians: Drew Barrymore, Fiona Apple, Daniel Johns from the
Australian band silverchair (vegan,) Alicia Silverstone, Jennie Garth,
Liv Tyler, Natalie Portman, and Rider Strong. Even Albert Einstein was a
vegetarian and once said, "Nothing will benefit human health and
increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution
to a vegetarian diet."
I lived the first fourteen years of my life a
meat-eater, living quietly and unaware of the inhumane and cruel
conditions at slaughterhouses from which the meat I ate came from. Last
July, on a whim, while sitting at the dinner table with a sausage on a
roll in my hand, I told my family that this is the last piece of meat I
will ever eat. They looked at me in disbelief, they doubted this newly
found compassion toward animals would last and to be honest, so did I.
True, I have not been a vegan for long but as I looked into it more in
books and on the internet I found the factory farming of animals more
and more disturbing and I am confident that it is not a faze as most
might think.
There are three main reason that make people want to
become vegetarians or vegans. Cruel and inhumane practices in dairy,
livestock and poultry farming is probably the single most common reason
to become a vegan, but some do it for health, environmental, or other
reasons. Anina, 15 says, "I'm a vegan for ethical reasons, because I
don't believe that human animals are above non-human animals and [I
believe] that we don't have the right to use animals as we wish." Lauren
Elberson, a senior at Starpoint High School says, "I always wanted to
become a vegetarian for mostly philosophical reason but, also to cut
back on fat."
Many teens become vegetarians for the simple premise
that animals can feel pain just like we can. About 8 billion animals die
or are slaughtered every year in the US for the production of flesh
food; millions more die of stress, suffocation, injury, or disease.
There are virtually no laws against cruelty to animals raised for food
in the US. The Animal Welfare Act, which governs the humane treatment of
animals, excludes animals intended for food consumption. In his or her
lifetime, the average meat-eater is responsible for the abuse and deaths
of 2,400 animals.
Paul and Linda McCartney (both vegetarians) once said,
"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian."
The conditions in slaughterhouses are horrendous. For example, up to six
hens are crowded into a cage with floor space hardly larger than a
record-cover, for their entire life-time; their legs and feet grow
twisted and deformed from standing on the slanted wire cage bottoms.
Many factory-farmed animals never see a blade of grass in their life.
Animals are transported to be slaughtered without food and water for a
long time, millions die on the way to the slaughter. Cows that are
injured or become sick during the transport to the stockyards or
slaughterhouses often become unable to stand. They are referred to as
"downers" and are often pushed around with bulldozers into piles and are
left to die a horrific death. Up to 50,000 chickens live in a typical
warehouse to increase profits, farmers feed them growth hormones and as
a result, many birds suffer from crippling bone disorders and spinal
defects.
Pigs are confined to stalls barely larger than their
bodies, the stench is often so overpowering even the farmers only spend
a few minutes a day in the pig buildings. Lack of exercise causes the
pigs to become so weak that they can barely walk 50 yards. Pigs are
naturally clean animals who roll in the mud only to cool off or escape
the flies. Pigs are at least as intelligent as dogs, and like dogs are
friendly and gregarious.
Josh, 17 says, "It's amazing how much being a vegan has
changed my perspective. I see a lot more injustices than I used to."
There are many injustices for livestock in the US. The US Department of
Agriculture for meat and poultry inspectors regularly witness the
following by livestock handlers: beating animals, poking the animals in
the eyes, anus, or vulva, overcrowding of pens so that animals are
trampled, tormenting the animals for no reason, and leaving dead animals
on trucks with the live ones. Animals have no voice so it is up to us to
stand up for them to stop their suffering.
Vegans also choose not to wear such animal products as
wool, leather, or down. Leather goods are made from the byproducts of
the slaughterhouse, while you may not be contributing to the destruction
of animals; you will be contributing to the profits of these
establishments.
The making of down is also inhumane. This down or goose
feathers is normally used as filling for winter "bubble" jackets,
pillows, or bed comforters. The process of the live plucking of geese is
wide spread. The terrified birds are lifted by their necks, with their
legs tied, and then have all their body feathers ripped out. This
torture, which has been described as "extremely cruel" by veterinary
surgeons and even geese breeders, begins when the geese are only eight
weeks old, and is repeated in eight-week intervals throughout their
life. As a result, many geese suffer from crippling bone disorders and
spinal defects.
Teens may also choose to be a vegan or vegetarian for
the astonishing health benefits. Diets that include meat/dairy products
are linked to many types of cancer, heart ailments, diabetes, obesity,
gallbladder disease, hypertension, and other deadly diseases and
disorders. By being a vegan, you reduce your risk of a heart attack by
90%. Also, meat contains approximately 14 times more pesticides than
plant foods. And up 95-99% of toxic chemical residues in the American
diet comes from animal sources.
The Environment is also suffering because of the meat
industry. Livestock production is the major cause of desertification as
well as the loss of trees. Every year in the US, an area the size of
Connecticut is lost to topsoil erosion and 85% of erosion is associated
with livestock production. As many as twenty vegans could be fed on the
same amount of land needed to feed just one person consuming a
meat-based diet. Also, for each quarter-pound hamburger sold that came
from cattle raised on former rainforest, 55 square feet of rainforest
was destroyed. Animal production also requires a lot of fossil fuels and
the burning of these fuels, as well as methane produced by animals, is
one cause of global warming. A vegetarian saves one full acre of trees
every year.
At first, vegans may get overwhelmed and think that
vegan diets require elaborate planning and lots of expensive test and
supplements. Yes, it does take some planning, but it's not all that
difficult. Things to remember:
-
Eat lots of fruits, and especially veggies
-
Base your diet on whole grains
-
Watch your calcium intake (most soy milk contains the same amount of
calcium as regular dairy milk.)
-
Eat enough food
If you are still worried, round out your diet with a
multivitamin/mineral supplement for extra insurance. Also, since
teenagers are active and growing, it is important that they get enough
calories, and as long as you are getting enough calories, you don't need
to be worried about getting enough protein. Green leafy vegetables are
as good or better than milk as a calcium source. Lauren Elberson also
says, "I cook all my own meals, I get home after practice and I just
make some pasta and a vegetable or a Gardenburger. I also really like to
eat fruit and yogurt." Vegetarian cooking can be fun, it is good to be
experimental and open to new recipes.
Another great source of protein, iron, calcium, and
other vitamins and minerals is tofu. When I first decided to go vegan I
swore I would never eat tofu but things didn't go as I planned. Tofu is
actually soy bean curd; it has a natural mild flavor and the ability to
absorb the flavors of other ingredients, and it is actually quite good.
Tofu took some getting used to but now, it is one of my favorite foods
especially grilled and barbecued on a roll with fresh lettuce. Tofu can
also be used to make frosting for cakes, dips, stir-frys, and soups.
However it can be hard for most young people to want to
adopt this new diet, especially in the teenage years when most kids want
to fit in and being a vegan or vegetarian is making yourself different
from your peers. Being a vegetarian or vegan can be uncomfortable when
approached with social situations. For example, at parties pizza is a
popular meal, and while it doesn't bother me that my friends choose to
eat meat and dairy, it can be uncomfortable watching everyone else eat.
Kathleen, 17, a vegan says, "I choose not to eat meat, flesh, or
whatever you want to call it, and other people choose to eat it. I want
people to respect my decision and to allow me to eat what I want without
being hassled for it." Also, sometimes people tend to go out of their
way to make sure you have something to eat, and that could make you feel
like a burden.
Yes, I have heard all the "veggie" jokes mostly coming
from my lunch table at school full of predominantly adolescent boys
staring in wonder and disgust at my tofu sandwiches, and occasionally
cracking a joke to annoy me, or getting the whole table to sarcastically
chant "Vegans Rule!" Probably the best thing to do is laugh about it.
Perhaps they will never quite get it. But most of my friends don't mind
me being a vegan and have grown used to it. Andrea, 19 says, "Just the
other day I had to answer my friend's questions about being a
vegetarian. I'm happy because I think she gets it. Maybe she'll decide
to go veggie."
To me, being a vegan is more of a statement and a boycott
of the meat industry rather than just a diet. As teenagers we are the
future and the little things we do like cutting back on our
meat-consumption can help build ourselves a healthier body and
environment.
Go on to The
Rebirth of The Animals' Voice Magazine
Return to 1 October 2000 Issue
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